A big round of applause for the John Clements Consultants 8th Youth for Leadership Summit, in partnership with their esteemed sponsors: Accenture, JPMorgan Chase & Co., QIAGEN, White & Case LLP, Clorox, and Rebisco. The Youth for Leadership Summit’s sustainability theme, “Act Now, Be Responsible, Think Sustainable”, was presented with an amazing lineup of speakers who are experts in various industries and sustainability topics. It was an online event that was both entertaining and extremely enlightening.
The Need for a Sustainable Environment
Carol V. Dominguez, President and CEO of John Clements Consultants, opened the floor with a great talk on the need for a stable natural environment. She said that the answer must first begin at home. This sustainability topic genuinely struck me because there are so many simple things that we could do at home to contribute to environmental sustainability. For instance, lesser use and separation of plastics from other biodegradable wastes which we started practicing nowadays at home because it is also part of the Clean Up Drive Program of our barangay. Ms. Carol also mentioned that sustainability endeavors should include meeting current needs without endangering those of future generations.
Grace C. Sorongon, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of the Professional Staffers Division, discussed the top ten jobs and job skills in the Philippines. This information is immensely significant to me. As a BLIS graduating student, I am on the lookout for skills that will be in demand for 2023.
The Importance of a Stable Environment
Jonas Marie Dumdum began our journey with the principles of sustainability by emphasizing the importance of a stable environment for a stable society in the future and mentioned that youths could contribute by recognizing what they can do for their households, communities, and the nation. The sustainability topic of climate change is a phenomenon that is periodically getting worse and will undoubtedly impact our lives if not addressed quickly. Immediate, responsible, and sustainable actions are essential to alleviate global warming. We also need to work hard on it for the future generation. I agree. Like what Jonas said, if we genuinely want to achieve sustainability, we should start looking around us and start small.
Healthcare Sustainability
Cristan Yang Zhigang stressed that we may achieve healthcare sustainability if we lower the cost and burden of diseases, stimulate effort, and adopt innovation. A lifestyle change would aid in the sustainability of healthcare, said moderator Ms. Alina Manaig. Cristan also emphasized how powerful students are and how he sees us as the leaders of tomorrow, which inspired me to be a leader not just inside the campus but outside as well.
Dr. Theo Sison closed this sustainability topic by reminding us that we must live well, wisely, and green if we intend to impact lasting change. I was inspired by Dr. Sison to start small at home and our college by utilizing reusable containers to be green and influence others as well because there is strength in numbers.
It Takes a Village
The second group of speakers started with Mariglo Laririt, who emphasized the significance of engaging local groups. This sustainability topic encourages community involvement and cooperation. As a student leader, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in progressive activities for the benefit of our community and national development. Ms. Mariglo likewise implored us to strive for a meaningful travel experience and show how individual actions act as a catalyst for change. This made me realize that I could use social media to encourage other student leaders on environmental awareness. I could inspire them to use tumblers instead of plastic cups and to utilize eco-friendly materials when traveling.
Trashion
Francis Sollano‘s sustainability topic effectively gave me the motivation I needed to start recycling, upcycling, and using my position of leadership to start motivating others to stop wasting plastics. Francis turned trash into fashion, which resulted in trashion. But, despite his success in the fashion industry, he returned to his source of inspiration and pondered whether he was able to make a difference in the community with what he had accomplished. This prompted him and his friends to form Youth for a Livable Cebu (YLC). This sustainability topic has given me more insight into my responsibility as a student leader and shown me that I must continue to serve others because without doing so, there will be no growth.
Diligent Recycling
Dr. Corazon PB. Claudio shared numerous tips on how to operate more sustainably, such as switching from plastic to paper bags. Like my present situation, a lot of plastic cups are purchased for use at church; however, considering this summit, I believe that using paper cups or even tumblers is the most environmentally friendly choice. Dr. Claudio also talked about the Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, Inc. (BEST), a company that manages sorted trash. BEST does not burn these wastes; instead, it recycles diverse types of waste and rewards customers with coupons in exchange for bringing in sorted plastics. Then these coupons are to be used to purchase a product from participating companies of BEST. The fact that this is more of an economical and legal approach than incineration in our community, and is similar to what we intend to accomplish on our campus last leadership meeting to combat plastic and biodegradable waste, sparked my interest to do more.
Sustainable Action Plan – Winner
Finally, the Sustainable Action Plan projects shown during the summit were also motivational and did offer a wonderful opportunity to help our environment. The winning entry, “RESTYLES” from Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, proposed that used textiles could be upcycled into mats, rags, potholders, bags, tumbler sling bags, tote bags, and pouches instead of being thrown into the Iligan City Bay. Indeed, sustainable sewing through upcycling and women empowerment.
The Finalists
The “BIOPHIL” sustainability project from Mindanao State University-Enactus highlighted the production of biomass from water hyacinth as a coal substitute. Also, it can now be produced into a product that is cleaner, more accessible, and more economical because of the abundant resources utilized in their area. The University of St. La Salle‘s “UNPACK” campaign promoted the use of reusable tumblers rather than disposable plastic cups.
I believe the event’s main objective, which is to inspire the youth to understand and enact the principles of sustainability, was delivered and achieved effectively. The organizers have successfully provided an entertaining and incredibly informative experience to the participants of the 8th Youth for Leadership Summit.
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